Beautiful Fall Colors This Year

Every year I think is the best “color year” for our beautiful Southeast Michigan trees. This year was not only colorful, but the colors just kept coming — just when I thought, “well, there go the golden hickories, it won’t be long and all the leaves will fall and we’ll be into November and bare branches,” well here we are in November and now the oaks are finally turning — a deep dark crimson.

Then I came upon this New York Times article – yes, the late colors have climate change to blame. And, while this may be a pleasant outcome for now, it bodes ill for the future, as warmer temperatures will push our more colorful trees like red and sugar maples further north, leaving us with less colorful oaks and hickories (though they happen to be my favorites).

Faye Stoner, Washtenaw County Natural Areas Stewardship Coordinator, agrees. “Colors are definitely lasting longer this fall – I can remember doing school programs and losing all colored leaves (that came in handy on those walks with kids) sometimes before the school programs were finished up for October/before Halloween!

“To have several trees, including maples out “in the wild” still almost glowing with color on Nov. 3, to me, is ‘out of ordinary’.”

Other naturalists have noticed the fall tick season has lengthened.

Read more about climate changes impacts on our watershed and HRWC’s efforts in climate adaptations.